DNA studies suggest that the woolly mammoth is more closely related to the Asian elephant than to the African elephant. (p. 403)

Researchers have turned stem cells into living drug pumps that could eventually treat Parkinson's disease. (p. 403)

When paired with a diet high in fat, breathing polluted air on a regular basis accelerates the accumulation of dangerous plaques in arteries. (p. 404)

Nanochannels with sharply tapered edges can dramatically boost fluid flow rates and potentially play a role in improved microchip cooling, fabrics to wick away perspiration, and other uses. (p. 404)

Movies of an ant colony show that larvae are the ones that prepare dinner when meat is on the menu. With Video. (p. 405)

The meaning of a chemical message released by male Asian elephants depends on the chemical's total concentration as well as on the balance of the chemical's two forms. (p. 405)

A South Korean researcher who claimed to have cloned the first human embryonic stem cell is now asking that some of his published work be retracted. (p. 406)

The 2005 hurricane season in the North Atlantic shattered a number of records, including several that were decades old. (p. 406)

Photos from the Science Service archive at the Smithsonian offer fresh views of the Scopes evolution trial. (p. 408)

A sea animal of unknown origins and lacking any known predator has begun commandeering ecosystems in cool coastal waters throughout the world. (p. 411)

An imaginary classroom provides lessons on the all-too-real debate over evolution and intelligent design. (p. 414)

Researchers have discovered that forests of carbon nanotubes squish and expand like foams, but with extraordinary resilience. (p. 416)

Brown dwarfs are failures in the star-making business, but new observations reveal that they may still succeed in growing planets. (p. 416)

Fruit bats can carry the Ebola virus, suggesting that they may spread it in Africa. (p. 416)

Results of recent experiments in which scientists squeezed a mixture of xenon and powdered quartz at high temperatures and pressures may explain why the gas is found at relatively low concentrations in the atmosphere. (p. 416)

Researchers can now single out malignant cells in the bone marrow of patients with acute myeloid leukemia by using an antibody that latches on to a newfound cell protein. (p. 417)

Researchers have developed a new technique to counter graft-versus-host disease, a common complication of treating blood cancers with marrow-cell transfusions. (p. 417)

The drug rapamycin, now used in transplants, may make chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia more effective. (p. 417)

Patients who undergo coronary-bypass surgery frequently receive unnecessary blood transfusions as part of their follow-up care. (p. 417)

A biological marker of heart trouble can be used to identify sickle-cell anemia patients who are at greatest risk of developing a serious, disease-related complication. (p. 417)

The ozone-free zone that develops high in the atmosphere over Antarctica each summer as the result of the presence of chlorine- and bromine-containing chemicals may not heal until 15 years later than previously projected. (p. 418)

A new technique for analyzing satellite images may enable researchers to easily identify sites where large numbers of used tires have been dumped. (p. 418)

Researchers now spend large amounts of time in remote areas to count and monitor the movements of large animals such as elephants, but in the future they may use seismic instruments to do the job. (p. 418)

Using data gathered by a satellite launched almost 3 years ago, scientists have assembled the most comprehensive high-resolution map of Antarctica that's ever been made. (p. 418)

(p. 419)

A review of important scientific achievements reported in Science News during the year 2005. (p. 420)